AAFCO (The Association of American Feed Control Officials) sets guidelines and definitions for animal feed, including pet foods.

* Alfalfa Meal - the aerial portion of the alfalfa plant, reasonably free from other crop plants, weeds and mold, which has been suncured and finely ground.
* Animal Digest - material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed animal tissue. The animal tissues used shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth, hooves and feathers, except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice and shall be suitable for animal feed.
* Animal Fat - is obtained from the tissues of mammals and/or poultry in the commercial processes of rendering or extracting. It consists predominantly of glyceride esters of fatty acids and contains no additions of free fatty acids. If an antioxidant is used, the common name or names must be indicated, followed by the words "used as a preservative".
* Barley - consists of at least 80 percent sound barley and must not contain more than 3 percent heat-damaged kernels, 6 percent foreign material, 20 percent other grains or 10 percent wild oats.
* Barley Flour - soft, finely ground and bolted barley meal obtained from the milling of barley. It consists essentially of the starch and gluten of the endosperm.
* Beef (meat) - is the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle, and is limited to that part of the striate muscle which is skeletal or that which is found in the tongue, in the diaphragm, in the heart, or in the esophagus; with or without the accompanying and overlying fat and the portions of the skin, sinew, nerve and blood vessels which normally accompany the flesh.
* Beet Pulp ("beet pulp, dried molasses" and "beet pulp, dried, plain") - the dried residue from sugar beets.
* Brewer's Rice - the dried extracted residue of rice resulting from the manufacture of wort (liquid portion of malted grain) or beer and may contain pulverized dried spent hops in an amount not to exceed 3 percent.
* Brown Rice - unpolished rice after the kernels have been removed. Not a complete AAFCO definition.
* Carrots - presumably carrots. No AAFCO definition.
* Chicken - the clean combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken or a combination thereof, exclusive of feathers, heads, feet and entrails.
* Chicken By-Product Meal - consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice.
* Chicken Liver Meal - chicken livers which have been ground or otherwise reduced in particle size.
* Chicken Meal - chicken which has been ground or otherwise reduced in particle size.
* Corn - unspecified corn product. Not a complete AAFCO definition.
* Corn Bran - the outer coating of the corn kernel, with little or none of the starchy part of the germ.
* Corn Germ Meal (Dry Milled) - ground corn germ which consists of corn germ with other parts of the corn kernel from which part of the oil has been removed and is the product obtained in the dry milling process of manufacture of corn meal, corn grits, hominy feed and other corn products.
* Corn Gluten - that part of the commercial shelled corn that remains after the extraction of the larger portion of the starch, gluten, and term by the processes employed in the wet milling manufacture of corn starch or syrup.
* Corn Gluten Meal - the dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of corn starch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm.
* Corn Syrup - concentrated juice derived from corn.
* Cracked Pearl Barley - cracked pearl barley resulting from the manufacture of pearl barley from clean barley.
* Dehydrated Eggs - dried whole poultry eggs freed of moisture by thermal means.
* Digest of Beef - material from beef which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed tissue. The tissues used shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth and hooves, except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice.
* Digest of Beef By-Products - material from beef which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed tissue from non-rendered clean parts, other than meat, from cattle which includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defated low-temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hoofs.
* Digest of Poultry By-Products - material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed tissue from non-rendered clean parts of carcasses of slaughtered poultry such as heads, feet, viscera, free from fecal content and foreign matter except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice.
* Dried Animal Digest - dried material resulting from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed animal tissue. The animal tissue used shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth, hooves and feathers, except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice and shall be suitable for animal feed. If it bears a name descriptive of its kind or flavor(s), it must correspond thereto.
* Dried Kelp - dried seaweed of the families Laminaricae and Fu-caeae. If the product is prepared by artificial drying, it may be called "dehydrated kelp".
* Dried Milk Protein - obtained by drying the coagulated protein residue resulting from the controlled co-precipitation of casein, lactalbumin and minor mild proteins from defatted milk.
* Dried Reduced Lactose Whey - no AAFCO definition available.
* Dried Whey - the product obtained by removing water from the whey. It contains not less than 11 percent protein nor less than 61 percent lactose.
* Feeding Oatmeal - obtained in the manufacture of rolled oat groats or rolled oats and consists of broken oat groats, oat groat chips, and floury portions of the oat groats, with only such quantity of finely ground oat hulls as is unavoidable in the usual process of commercial milling. It must not contain more than 4 percent crude fiber.
* Fish Meal - the clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish or fish cuttings, either or both, with or without the extraction of part of the oil. (Be aware that according to US Coast Guard regulations, all fish meal must be preserved with Ethoxyquin)
* Ground Corn (ground ear corn) - the entire ear of corn ground, without husks, with no greater portion of cob than occurs in the ear corn in its natural state.
* Ground Dehulled Oats - presumably ground cleaned oats with hulls removed (ground oat groats). Not an AAFCO definition.
* Ground Wheat - presumably a coarser grind of wheat flour. Not an AAFCO definition.
* Ground Whole Brown Rice (Ground Brown Rice) - the entire product obtained by grinding the rice kernels after the hulls have been removed.
* Ground Whole Wheat - ground whole kernel, presumably equivalent to AAFCO's Wheat Mill Run, Wheat Middlings, Wheat Shorts or Wheat Red Dog, whose principal differences are in the percentage of crude fiber.
* Ground Yellow Corn - same as ground corn, except that the corn used is yellow in color.
* Kibbled Corn - obtained by cooking cracked corn under steam pressure and extruding from an expeller or other mechanical pressure device.
* Lamb Bone Meal - (steamed) dried and ground product sterilized by cooking undecomposed bones with steam under pressure. Grease, gelatin and meat fiber may or may not be removed.
* Lamb Digest - material resulting from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed lamb. The tissue used shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth and hooves, except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice and shall be suitable for animal feed.
* Lamb Fat - obtained from the tissues of lamb in the commercial processes of rendering or extracting. It consists predominantly of glyceride esters of fatty acids and contains no additions of free fatty acids. If an antioxidant is used, the common name or names must be indicated, followed by the words "used as a preservative".
* Lamb Meal - the rendered product from lamb tissues, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices.
* Linseed Meal - the product obtained by grinding the cake or chips which remain after removal of most of the oil from flaxseed by a mechanical extraction process. It must contain no more than 10 percent fiber. The words "mechanical extracted" are not required when listing as an ingredient in the manufactured food.
* Liver - the hepatic gland (of whatever species is listed).
* Meat and Bone Meal - the rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents, except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices.
* Meat By-Products - the non rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low-temperature fatty tissue and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hooves.
* Meat Meal - the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices.
* Peas - peas.
* Potatoes - potatoes.
* Poultry By-Product Meal - consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered poultry, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in good processing practices.
* Poultry Digest - material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed poultry tissue.
* Poultry Fat (feed grade) - primarily obtained from the tissue of poultry in the commercial process of rendering or extracting. It shall contain only the fatty matter natural to the product produced under good manufacturing practices and shall contain no added free fatty acids or other materials obtained from fat. It must contain not less than 90 percent total fatty acids and not more than 3 percent of unsaponifiables and impurities. It shall have a minimum titer of 33 degrees Celsius. If an antioxidant is used, the common name or names must be indicated, followed by the word "preservative(s)".
* Powdered Cellulose - purified, mechanically disintegrated cellulose prepared by processing alpha cellulose obtained as a pulp from fibrous plant materials.
* Rice Bran - the pericarp or bran layer and germ of the rice, with only such quantity of hull fragments, chipped, broken, or brewer's rice, and calcium carbonate as is unavoidable in the regular milling of edible rice.
* Rice Flour
* Soy Flour
* Soybean Hulls - consist primarily of the outer covering of the soybean.
* Soybean Meal (Dehulled, solvent Extracted) - obtained by grinding the flakes remaining after removal of most of the oil from dehulled soybeans by a solvent extraction process.
* Soybean Meal (Mechanical Extracted) - obtained by grinding the cake or chips which remain after removal of most of the oil from the soybeans by a mechanical extraction process.
* Soybean Mill Run - composed of soybean hulls and such bean meats that adhere to the hulls and such bean meats that adhere to the hulls which results from normal milling operations in the production of dehulled soybean meal.
* Tallow - animal fats with titer above 40 degrees Celsius.
* Turkey - unspecified turkey. Not a complete AAFCO description.
* Turkey Meal - the ground clean combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey or a combination thereof, exclusive of feathers, heads, feet and entrails.
* Wheat Bran - the coarse outer covering of the wheat kernel as separated from cleaned and scoured wheat in the usual process of commercial milling.
* Wheat Flour - wheat flour together with fine particles of wheat bran, wheat germ and the offal from the "tail of the mill". This product must be obtained in the usual process of commercial milling and must not contain more than 1.5 percent crude fiber.
* Wheat Germ Meal - consists chiefly of wheat germ together with some bran and middlings or short. It must contain not less than 25 percent crude protein and 7 percent crude fat.
* Wheat Mill Run - coarse wheat bran, fine particles of wheat bran, wheat shorts, wheat germ, wheat flour and the offal from the "tail of the mill". This product must be obtained in the usual process of commercial milling and must contain not more than 9.5 percent crude fiber.
* Whey - the product obtained as a fluid by separating the coagulum from milk, cream or skimmed milk and from which a portion of the milk fat may have been removed.

This list mentions the most common products found in pet food. If you're looking for more specific ingredients, such as Bison, Fish, Lamb, Rabbit, etc, then I'll see what I can dig up. Bison, as far as I know, are prone to diseases that affect both cows and wild game (Elk, Deer). To my knowledge, though, BSE doesn't affect Bison, but it was never known to affect Sheep before (or was it a Goat - I can't remember), but it has.

If it is called "Chicken Dog Food" it must be at least 95% chicken- if it is qualified in some way ("Beef Dinner") it drops to 30%, and if it is called something like "Dog food With Fish" there only needs to be 2% fish.

This would apply to Venison
Meat is the clean flesh derived from slaughtered mammals and is limited to that part of striate muscle which is skeletal or that which is found in the tongue, accompanying and overlying fat and the portions of the skin, sinew, nerve, and blood vessels which normally accompany the flesh. It shall be suitable for use in animal food. If it bears a name descriptive of it's kind, it must correspond thereto

lets not forget that there are very good dog foods out there. The ones that that put this in there food are the cheep dog food companys that don't care about our pets it's all about the $$$$$$ and what make me sick and our pets is what meat they put in the food like dead dogs cats animals that have been put to sleep. Sick farm animal that have died because of there illness like mad cow.. These pet food companys don't care about our pets so we have to do our home work. Dogs and cats are not living as long or they are getting cancer thease things don't break down wehn thease dead animal are prossed to pet food lets keep our pets safe.Stay away from pet food in the super market....and well i can't name store names so read the back of the dog food.. bye for now

Mazy my mini schnauzer was on Acana lamb and rice but they have switched it totally and now it is Lamb and apple. The protien and fat are higher and there are other ingredients that I have to do my homework for. I really wish dog food companies would not switch there food sooooo much.

I thought I would add some common label terms and how AAFCO defines them as well as this goes hand in hand with the ingredients - this is from the Feb 09 issue of Pet Age:Natrual: Products with no synthetic ingredients per AAFCO. Many pet foods that contain mostly all-natural ingredients also include synthetic vitamins and minerals to meet AAFCO requirements; these include the disclaimer "natural ingredients with added vitamins and minerals".Organic: Products that contain 95% or more organic ingredients can be labeled "USDA Organic." Such claims, which are regulated by the US Department of Agriculture, pertain to processes, not to safety or nutrients. An approved organization must certify pet foods before an company can make the "organic" claim. The USDA is working on regulations for organic pet foods, which AAFCO will recognize. They will have to comply with National Organic Program regulations. **my own comment here - a food can say made WITH organic ingredients as long as a minimum of only 3% of the entire recipe contains organic ingredients - BUYER BEWARE!!! **Human Grade: Debate swirls around how to define this term and whether or not it misleads people into thinking the food is suitable for human consumption. The AAFCO has released NO OFFICIAL DEFINITION.

The following comes from the APIssues (Animal Protection Institute) Pet Food Fact Sheet:
The 95% Rule: If the product says “Salmon Cat Food” or “Beef Dog Food,” 95% of the product must be the named ingredients. A product with a combination label, such as “Beef and Liver for Dogs,” must contain 95% beef and liver, and there must be more beef than liver, since beef is named first.
• The 25% or “Dinner” Rule: Ingredients named on the label must comprise at
least 25% of the product but less than 95%, when there is a qualifying
“descriptor” term like “dinner,” “entree,” “formula,” “platter,” “nuggets,” etc. In “Beef Dinner for Dogs,” beef may or may not be the primary ingredient. If two ingredients are named (“Beef and Turkey Dinner for Dogs”), the two ingredients must total 25%, there must be more of the first ingredient
(beef) than the second (turkey), and there must be at least 3% of the lesser
ingredient.
• The 3% or “With” Rule: A product may be labeled “Cat Food with Salmon” if
it contains at least 3% of the named ingredient.
• The “Flavor” Rule: A food may be labeled “Turkey Flavor Cat Food” even if
the food does not contain such ingredients, as long as there is a “sufficiently
detectable” amount of flavor. This may be derived from meals, byproducts,
or “digests” of various parts from the animal species indicated on the label.

Dog food contained meat by-product, meat by-products are not meat. They include any part of the animal other than meat. Because any mammal can be used, cheaper meat like horse, pig, or goat are often included.

The same goes for “poultry by-products” or “chicken by-products” because the origin of the meat could be from turkeys, ducks, geese, buzzards, etc, instead of a single source like poultry or chicken.

Last edited by Blackbear; September 11th, 2010 at 01:43 PM.
Reason: No promotion, pls